The present invention relates generally to storage containers for welding and plasma cutting consumables. More specifically, it relates to a method and apparatus for mounting and securing a consumable storage box in an opening in the chassis of a welding or plasma cutting power supply.
Welding and plasma cutting typically involve the use of many different types of consumable materials and spare parts such as welding contact tips, plasma cutting tips, electrodes, etc . . . Storage boxes or containers for these consumables and parts have been included with many prior art welding power supplies and plasma cutters.
These prior art storage boxes are mounted in an opening in the sidewall of the chassis of the welding or plasma cutting machine. A flange on the front of the box is positioned adjacent to the opening either on the inside of the chassis or on the outside of the chassis. Fasteners are then inserted through mounting holes in the flange and chassis to secure the storage box in the opening.
Four holes in the storage box flange (e.g., one in each corner of the storage box assembly) must be properly aligned with four holes in the chassis in order to mount the prior art boxes in the opening. This takes time and effort on the part of the person assembling the welding or plasma cutting machine and can be especially difficult if the storage box is mounted from the inside of the chassis. It is desirable, therefore, to have a consumable storage box that can be secured into an opening in the chassis of a welding or plasma cutting power supply using less than four fasteners. Preferably no more than two fasteners are required to secure the storage box in the opening. It is also desirable to have a storage box that provides for automatic alignment of the mounting holes.
A prior art method to mount other objects, such as bushings, in chassis wall openings requires no fasteners. Instead, a flange is provided on the outside of the bushing. One or more flexible mounting tabs are located behind the flange. Grooves are formed between the flange and the mounting tabs. The flexible tabs are temporarily displaced when the bushing is pushed into the opening. This allows the chassis wall adjacent to the opening to be received in the grooves.
Prior art grooves used for this purpose have been of two types. One type is a groove having a rectangular shaped cross-section. The wall of the chassis is received in the groove. The width of the rectangular shaped groove is chosen to tightly receive the chassis wall. Tightly receiving the wall of the chassis insures that the storage container will be securely mounted in the opening without any play between the chassis wall and the storage container. The drawback to using this type of groove is that different grooves are needed to accommodate different chassis wall thicknesses.
Another type of groove has a step shaped cross sectional profile. The wall of the chassis is received in one of the steps. This type of groove, however, only provides a tight fit when used with discreet chassis wall thicknesses that are equal in width to each of the groove steps. Other chassis wall thicknesses require that a different groove be used. It is desirable, therefore, to have a storage box that includes a mounting groove which can receive any chassis wall thickness within a desired range of chassis wall thicknesses. Preferably, the groove will tightly receive any chassis wall thickness within the desired range of chassis wall thicknesses.
According to several aspects of the invention, a storage apparatus box is configured to mount into an opening in a chassis wall of a welding-type power supply. In the first of these aspects, the box includes at least one angled notch to receive a wall of the chassis.
In other embodiments, the box includes at least one additional angled notch disposed to receive the wall of the chassis or at least one mounting hole to secure the box in the opening. The notch or notches are configured to tightly receive the wall in other embodiments. In yet another embodiment, the notch provides alignment of the mounting hole or holes with corresponding holes in the chassis when the wall is received in the notch. The angled notch is formed between a flange and a mounting tab or tabs in another embodiment.
In a second of these aspects, the box includes a groove disposed to receive any of a plurality of chassis wall thicknesses within a range of chassis wall thicknesses. The groove is configured to tightly receive the chassis wall in one embodiment.
In a third of these aspects, the box includes no more than two mounting holes. In one embodiment, the mounting holes are disposed such that they are located on the outside of the chassis. In another embodiment, the mounting holes are located on a flange disposed around the box. The box further includes a groove to receive a wall of the chassis in one embodiment. In other embodiments, the groove includes angled sidewalls or is configured to tightly receive any of a plurality of chassis wall thicknesses within a range of chassis wall thicknesses. In yet another embodiment, the groove is formed between a flange and one or more mounting tabs. The groove is disposed on the box to provide for alignment of the mounting hole or holes with corresponding holes in the chassis when the wall is received in the groove in another embodiment.
According to a fourth and fifth aspect of the invention, a method of mounting a storage box includes inserting the box into an opening in the chassis of a welding-type power supply. In one of these aspects, the method further includes securing the apparatus in the opening using no more than two fasteners. Securing the apparatus includes inserting the fasteners through mounting holes in the apparatus in one embodiment and includes receiving or tightly receiving a wall of the chassis into a groove in the apparatus in other embodiments. In the other of these aspects, the method further includes receiving or tightly receiving a wall of the chassis in an angled notch.
According to a sixth and seventh aspect of the invention, a welding apparatus includes a welding-type power supply having a chassis. A storage container is disposed in an opening in the chassis. In one of these aspects, at least one angled notch is disposed on the storage container to receive a chassis wall. In the other aspect, no more than two mounting holes are disposed on the storage container.
Other principal features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following drawings, the detailed description and the appended claims.